Farkas, Ferenc

Ferenc Farkas was one of Hungary's most decisively important 20th-century composers.
He was born on 15 December, 1905 in Budapest. At the Academy of Music Budapest (1922-27) he was a pupil of Leó Weiner and Albert Siklós, then continued his studies in Rome at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia under the supervision of Ottorino Respighi. From 1935 he taught at the Higher Music School in Budapest, then at the Conservatoire in Kolozsvár, and later at the Székesfehérvár Conservatoire (he was also director of the latter two). In 1949 he was appointed teacher of composition at the Academy of Music Budapest, and as head of department he retired from there in 1965. He died in Budapest on 10 Oczober, 2000.
György Ligeti and György Kurtág studied under him, and in the course of his long teaching career he taught several generations of Hungarian composers - his students included Emil Petrovics, Sándor Szokolay, Miklós Kocsár, Zsolt Durkó, Attila Bozay, Zoltán Jeney and László Vidovszky. His oeuvre (more than 700 works) embraces almost every musical genre: he composed operas, ballets, incidental music for the theatre, film music, masses, cantatas, choral works, songs, orchestral works and concertos, chamber music and also solo pieces. His musical profile combined Hungarian folk music, classical traditions, the melodiousness of the Mediterranean, and twelve-tone technique. His technical virtuosity as a composer, his knowledge of style, his fertile inventiveness and his wide-ranging culture won him international recognition. The Hungarian state conferred many honours on him.
 
Official website of Ferenc Farkas: http://www.ferencfarkas.org/
 


Publications to celebrate the centenary of the composer's birth

A selection from the solo and chamber works

All'antica viola da gambára (vagy gordonkára) és csembalóra (zongorára) / for viola da gamba (or violoncello) and harpsichord (piano) (1926) - Z.4439

Ballada gordonkára és zongorára / Ballad for violoncello
and piano (1963) - Z.5296

Bihari román táncok hegedűre (brácsára, fuvolára vagy klarinétra) és zongorára / Rumanian Folk Dances from the County of Bihar for violin (viola, flute or clarinet) and piano (1950) - Z.958

Contrafacta Hungarica két oboára, két klarinétra, két
fagottra és két kürtre / for two oboes, two clarinets, two
bassoons and two horns (1974) - score and parts - Z.12827

Correspondances. Nyolc zongoradarab / Eight piano
pieces (1957) - Z.12097

Gitárdalok énekhangra és gitárra. Három dal Dsida J. verseire / Guitar Songs for voice and guitar. Three songs on poems by J. Dsida (1983) - Z.12897

Hybrides. Tíz zongoradarab / Ten piano pieces (1957)
- Z.12096

Maskarák oboára, klarinétra és fagottra / Maschere for oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1983) partitúra és szólamok score and parts - Z.13127

Magyar táncok a 17. századból kamarazenekarra
Hungarian Dances from the 17th Century for chamber orchestra "Leggiero" - partitúra és szólamok / score and parts - Z.14249

Naplójegyzetek 1986-1987 zongorára / Journal for piano (1986, 1987) 1-2. kötet / Vols. 1-2 - Z.13804

Notturno hegedűre, brácsára és gordonkára / for violin,
viola and violoncello (1929) - Z.14465

Nyírbátori toronyzene rézfúvós együttesre / Kleine
Turmmusik
for brass ensemble (1967) - partitúra és szólamok - Z.6714

Régi nóta, régi tánc. Két zongoradarab / Old Song, Old Dance. Two piano pieces (1955) - Z.2202

Régi magyar táncok a 17. századból / Antiche danze ungheresi del 17. secolo
- zongorára / for piano (1943) - Z.797
- hegedűre vagy gordonkára és zongorára / for violin or
violoncello and piano (1958) - Z.2424
- hárfára / for harp (1979) - Z.8627
- fuvolára és zongorára / for flute and piano (1987) - Z.14076
- négy klarinétra / for four clarinets (1976) - partitúra és
szólamok / score and parts - Z.13420
- fúvósötösre / for wind quintet (1959) - partitúra és
szólamok / score and parts - Z.14056
- rézfúvósötösre / for brass quintet (1987) - partitúra
és szólamok / score and parts - Z.13664

Rézfúvószene fúvósegyüttesre / Musica per ottoni for wind band (1982) - partitúra és szólamok / score and parts - Z.12765

Romantikus szonáta fagottra és zongorára / Sonate
romantique
for bassoon and piano (1982) - Z.13019

Szerenád fuvolára és két hegedűre / Serenade for flute and two violins (1940 ) - partitúra és szólamok / score and parts - Z.5207

Szonatina fuvolára és zongorára / Sonatina for flute
and piano (1959) - Z.5870

Trigón fuvolára (vagy klarinétra), fagottra és zongorára
for flute (or clarinet), bassoon and piano (1988) - Z.13843

Trió hegedűre, gordonkára és zongorára / Trio for violin, violoncello and piano (1979) - partitúra és szólamok score and parts - Z.12094

Chamber Music for Strings and Piano
$28.45
Pian
$14.45
Brass Band
$28.45
Chamber Music for Woodwind Ensemble
$29.95
Voice and Guitar
$8.95
Bassoon and Piano
$20.95
Pian
$13.95
Chamber Music for Mixed Ensemble
$29.95
Violoncello and Piano
$11.95
Mixed Chamber Trio
$11.95
Violoncello and Piano
$21.95
Flute and Piano
$20.95
Brass Band
$21.95
Violin and Piano, Viola and piano, Flute and Piano, Clarinet and Piano
$24.95